The 2012 Oktoberfest kicked off in Munich on Sept. 22 with the traditional ceremonial tapping of a keg by that city’s mayor. Now beer gardens, restaurants and neighborhoods around the world have joined in the celebration, too.

Oakland’s version, the cleverly titled Oaktoberfest, which runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Oct. 6, puts its own spin on the traditional festival by focusing on local beers, as well as food and entertainment. That﻿ makes perfect sense. Munich’s folk festival showcases German culture; Oaktoberfest’s focus on Oakland’s culture shares a similar spirit.

The street fair in Oakland’s Dimond district will offer the requisite oompah music, bratwurst and strudel, as well as 20 local breweries pouring German-style and uniquely Californian craft beers. The idea, managing director Daniel Swafford says, is to “bring people into Oakland (to) see the strength of community.”

It’s a family-friendly affair, with a block-long children’s area devoted to interactive games, crafts and kid-pleasing root beer floats, served in plastic steins, of course. More than 20 bands will perform on three stages. And if you’re interested in home-brewing, be sure to check out the demonstrations offered in “Homebrew Alley” throughout the day by Brewmaster, a San Leandro homebrew shop, and HopTech, a store in Dublin.

More than 50 different craft beers will be poured at the 120-foot Munich-style beer tent, and you’ll be able to sample the special Oaktoberfest beer brewed for the occasion — and only available at the festival.

The beer is a collaborative effort from Oaktoberfest organizer Morgan Phillips, Linden Street Brewery’s Adam Lamoreaux and Dying Vine’s Kel Alcala. It’s a unique twist on festbier, made with traditional malts, like pils and dark Munich, along with noble hops. But American Bravo hops and Linden Street’s house yeast give it a distinctive West Coast flavor. Lamoreaux describes it as a “California-ized fest bier — a German recipe brewed with local yeast.”

And that is the perfect way to celebrate both the German heritage that Oktoberfest represents and our own burgeoning local beer scene: with a beer that is the best of both worlds. Prosit!

In a video clip recorded by a student, a psychology instructor at Orange Coast College told her class that the election of Donald Trump was “an act of terrorism” – prompting an official complaint from the school’s Republican Club.